The healthy eating advice you should ignore

There are all sorts of mantras and sayings in the health world, but it can sometimes be difficult to know the difference between the ones we should stick to and the ones we should disregard as nothing more than myth. Here, Frida Harju – in-house nutritionist as health app Lifesum – takes us through some of the most common phrases and sets the record straight.

"Eat five portions of fruit and veg a day"

Probably the most renowned of all healthy eating messages, the five-a-day target is a good benchmark that we should aim for on a daily basis, to make sure that our bodies receive the right vitamins and nutrients. Frida comments:

"It is important to remember that the five-a-day figure was initially chosen as an achievable aim that wouldn't overwhelm the general population. In fact, a vast number of people across the UK still struggle to get their five-a-day, so it is definitely a good target to keep in mind if you are trying to improve your diet."

"This is definitely something one can aim for – eating as many fruits and vegetables a day as you can. However, if you can't imagine eating ten, eating five a day is still a great aim and is enough, especially if you limit unhealthy foods, such as fried and junk foods, as well as refined carbohydrates."

"Drink eight glasses of water a day"

There are many different opinions on how much water we should be drinking every day, although health authority guidelines recommend eight 8-ounce glasses a day, which equals approximately 2 litres.

"We can get some of the required liquid from other drinks, such as tea and coffee (which, contrary to popular belief, has been found not to dehydrate you), as well as fruits and vegetables, which also contain water. However, water is still the preferable drink to get your liquids from. Similarly, our bodies are very well equipped to signal when we need more liquid, before we start to feel the effects of dehydration."

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So it's okay to use your thirst to guide you.

"You can't out-exercise a bad diet"

We've all done it – indulged in that extra slice of pizza (okay, maybe two… or three) having promised ourselves we'd run it off in the morning. However, it doesn't *quite* work like that, says Frida.

"As a rule of thumb, if you want to lose weight, then 75% of this is in what you eat, as it is easier to cut-down on calories than actually burn them. For example, eating unhealthy foods, such as deep fried and processed foods, can require a lot of exercise to burn off – over 500 calories of junk food might need more than 4 miles of jogging to cancel-out."

However, while you might lose weight if you are following a healthy diet, you might also lose muscle weight and bone density. If your aim is to get healthy, then you should be doing both – following a balanced diet and exercising.

"While it is true that exercise can't cancel out a bad diet, it can definitely supplement a healthy one, to make you stronger, happier and healthier."

"Frozen vegetables are less nutritious than fresh"

While it may seem that fresh produce contains more nutrients than the frozen equivalent, for certain foods it isn't true – in fact, says Frida, some frozen vegetables might retain more nutrients than the fresh.

"The reason for this is that it takes time for the fresh produce to travel from the farm to the supermarket, which makes it lose some of its nutrients through connecting with oxygen and light. Frozen vegetables, however, are frozen as they are picked, retaining their value as they are transported and until they are consumed."

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A good rule of thumb is to buy frozen produce when it isn't in season and fresh, local produce when in season.

"You should detox regularly"

The human body is well equipped for dealing with any toxins without the need for any detox or cleanse-based diets.

"Your kidneys filter your blood, removing any toxins found there through urine. Similarly, the liver stops some toxins from entering your blood stream, breaking down others, which are then removed from the body. What you can do instead of using expensive detox teas and diets is make sure you take care of your kidneys and liver. Drink plenty of water, avoid any unnecessary stress to these organs, as well as processed and fatty foods, and your body will perform its own detox on a daily basis."

"Eating fat will make you fat"

Most foods contain different types of fat, some of which are more harming than others.

"Fat is a necessary element in our diets, as the body can't process some vitamins without the fat's help in dissolving them into your system. Therefore, it is important not to cut out all fats from your diet, but instead, know the difference between the healthy and unhealthy varieties."

There are two types of 'good' fats: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.

"The mono fats can be found in oils and plants, such as olive oil, sunflower oil, nuts, avocados and olives, to name a few. This fat helps the body decrease the levels of cholesterol and then to keep this level balanced, stabilizing your heart rhythm and preventing cardiovascular disease. Polyunsaturated fat is often found in various vegetable oils, like sunflower, sesame and soy. Omega-3 and omega-6 are the two subsections of polyunsaturated fat and these can be found in seafood like salmon, sardines, herring and oysters."

Both omega-3 and omega-6 are essential as they are important for normal inflammation operation, nerve and brain function, behavior, blood viscosity, coagulation and pain signaling.

"Don't eat after a certain time"

The myth that eating in the late evening causes weight gain has stuck around for decades, yet nobody really knows where it comes from.

"Your body won't know what time it is, whether it is 6 or 7pm, but what it does know is how many calories you consume. Instead of cutting off eating at 6pm, make sure that your meals are regular (including a healthy breakfast) and filled with vitamins, nutrients and protein to keep you full throughout the day."

"Low or no carb is the key to weight loss"

The demonisation of carbs came from diets like Atkins, which left a lot of people feeling confused about the good and bad type of carbohydrate, leading many to think that the most effective way to lose weight is by cutting out carbs.

"While it is possible to lose weight by cutting out carbs, it isn't a diet that can be sustained over a long time period and it is better to eat the right amount of the right carbohydrates. We need carbohydrates to be part of our diet as they are a great source of energy, which is broken down into glucose and then absorbed in the bloodstream. We should avoid carbohydrates that are rich in sugar and instead opt for complex carbohydrates that take longer to be digested. These can be found in wholegrains, beans and oats, in short, foods that have a higher fibre content."

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